Care: Returning Home
by Mine6Chan
Summary: Being wounded on a mission Shikamaru rests at home with severe injuries. While being checked up on by a friend his lover returns home and is distraught by Shikamaru's condition.  Fluff, Slash
1. Chapter 1

**Updated version (29/03/2011)**

**Care: Returning Home**

He'd been severely injured on a mission. His target had made an unexpected move (a stupid move that had cost him his life) and Shikamaru had ended up with a deep cut to his waist made by a poisoned blade. He'd still managed to complete the mission and retrieve the scroll he'd been sent out to get, but it had been close and Shikamaru had passed out from severe blood loss and poisoning near the gates of Konoha. Luckily (actually, more according to his planning than anything else), he had quickly been found by the ANBU patrol and taken to the hospital where he'd been hospitalized for three days suffering from blood loss, chakra exhaustion and a severe infection.

Shikamaru was now back in his own apartment and under strict orders to rest. An easy order for him to follow.

His wound had been a long and deep cut to his right side, and had required 54 stitches and very strong painkillers. The painkillers were doing a good job of keeping him groggy and out of it, and really, he should have been resting at the hospital but there had been an epidemic of a stomach virus in the hospital and Shikamaru, who couldn't afford to catch anything while he recovered, was sent home.

His mother had wanted him to come back to the house for the duration of his recovery so he wouldn't be alone, but since both of his parents were active shinobi Shikamaru wouldn't have been better off in his parent's house than in his own apartment. He was even better off on his own in his apartment since his bed was twice as big as the one in his parent's house, and there were two medic-nins amongst his neighbours. Of course, Shikamaru was in no condition to move anywhere and was solely dependent on his friends coming to check on him, which they did frequently.

So far he had been visited by Ino, Chouji (thrice), Kiba, Hinata, Rock Lee and Naruto (twice) and he'd only been back in his apartment for two days (also counting the visits he'd received at the hospital, even though they hadn't been allowed to see him). He knew there was an unspoken agreement between the Rookie Nine (in fact there was an unspoken agreement between all of Konoha's shinobi) that they looked out for each even outside of the battlefield when needed.

Shikamaru was sure that he was going to receive a lot more visitors since it was summer and there was an overflow of missions coming in. (In fact, Tsunade-sama hadn't able to afford losing Shikamaru to injury but his wound together with the poisoning was so severe that he'd be of no use what so ever for at least two weeks, more if he didn't recuperate properly.) The waves of missions coming in meant that no shinobi stayed in the village for long and so his friends would pass on the duty of checking up on him to the next person who could. Summers were often like this, and while this was the first time in his 21 years that Shikamaru had received a life threatening injury, he knew that just about anyone could show up at his door (through his window more like it). He, himself, had gone to check on Hatake Kakashi, Shiranui Genma and Nakagawa Shizune one summer when the missions had simply poured in and the three had been injured in an A-class mission.

Shikamaru was lying on his big and very comfortable bed with big and fluffy pillows, and sheets of the softest cotton. He was on his stomach with bandages around his waist and the sheets pulled down low over his hips. Just before noon Hinata had passed by with some food and helped him take his medication before she had left on a mission of her own. It was now evening and Shikamaru was starting to feel the effects of the painkillers wear off. He groaned into his pillow and carefully raised his head to look for the pills. He spotted them on the dresser on the other side of the room and cursed as he could feel the stitches on his side pull at his skin as he moved. The poison hadn't been lethal but it severely slowed down the healing of the wound. Even now, five days after, it had barely started to close and he needed to change bandages every day.

Very carefully and very slowly Shikamaru pulled himself to the edge of bed and placed his feet on the wooden floor. He shivered at the cold seeping up through his feet and took a couple of deep breaths. He knew that someone was bound to come by at any moment but the painkillers were wearing off fast and he was starting to feel short of breath. With more strength than he'd ever felt he'd had to use, he pulled himself to his feet and reached out to support himself against the wall. Shikamaru immediately knew he should have stayed in bed as his knees collapsed under him and the world turned black around him. He was out for a couple of minutes but soon regained consciousness and pulled himself to sit up against the bed. He was out of breath, nauseous and he'd reopened his wound. He leaned his head back and fought hard not to pass out again, taking deep breaths. His side was burning and he could feel sweat run down his face and torso.

"Shikamaru? Can you hear me?"

The wounded shinobi opened his eyes to discover pale irisless eyes staring back at him with concern.

"I feel… sick… Neji."

A hand was placed on his forehead before he was carefully gathered into a cool (and welcomed) embrace as he was gently lifted and placed back in his bed. "You don't have a fever. How long has it been since you last took your medication?"

"Hinata came by before her mission."

"That was this morning. Sit up. Can you take the pills on your own?" Although Neji more or less ordered him to sit up, it was obvious he didn't mean it as he very carefully leaned Shikamaru back against his pillow against the headboard and kept a tender hand on him just in case.

Neji had picked up Shikamaru's medication right after he'd placed him back in bed and a glass of water. He now reached to retrieve the items from where he'd placed them on the nightstand next to the bed, but cast a concerned glance at Shikamaru when he received no reply to his question.

It was obvious the younger man was in agony. His complexion was ghastly pale and he was soaked in sweat, his breaths coming in short gasps and his eyes tightly shut.

"Shikamaru, can you hear me?"

The injured man nodded after a few slow seconds.

"I'll help you take your pills, and then I'm going to clean you up and change your bandages. Understood?" Neji greatly respected Shikamaru, considered him a close friend and in no way did he want to humiliate his friend or make him uncomfortable. He also knew that even in as much pain as Shikamaru was currently in, that he still had a clear grasp of the situation and he didn't want to do anything to Shikamaru that he wasn't prepared for. If their situation had been reversed Neji would have liked to be treated this way and so treated his friend in the same way.

Neji popped the pills into his own mouth and took a mouthful of water before he carefully held Shikamaru's jaw and leaned in to mouth feed him his medication.

Shikamaru visibly relaxed as the water cooled down his parched throat and it wasn't soon before he could feel the pain lessen. He licked his lips wishing for more water and was going to tell Neji so but the gentle hold on his face pulled his head up again and Neji once more feed him water. The Nara moaned this time and reached out his tongue to lick at Neji's mouth, thirsting for more of the cool liquid.

Neji pulled back and rubbed at his chin where some water had spilled out. He held Shikamaru with gentle hands and drew further away. He could physically see the pain lessen in his friend and sighed in relief. The painkillers were quickly kicking in as sedatives as well and Neji helped the younger man lay back down on the bed. The older man checked his friend over to make sure nothing else was ailing him before he moved to complete the rest of his tasks. He wanted to change his bandages and check his wound as soon as possible seeing to blood staining the white fabric.

He'd returned yesterday from a long mission and had been informed by Hinata-sama upon arrival late in the evening that Shikamaru had been gravely injured and was out of commission for at least two weeks. The news greatly worried the socially uncomfortable man. If Shikamaru, the most successful shinobi in the history of Konoha, was out due to injury then he must have received fatal wounds. His concern had only grown when he'd found out that the man had been poisoned as well.

Neji moved over to Shikamaru's dresser to retrieve a clean pair of pants for him to change into and when he turned back around Shikamaru was no longer alone on the bed.

"When did you return?" Neji asked coldly. It wasn't that he didn't like the man; it was just that this was the way Neji normally spoke to others. Coldly, off-putting, and with a harsh and demanding voice. Much like the man sitting next to the Nara.

He ignored Neji's question. His gaze fixated on the sleeping man before him. He caressed his lover's cheek with his pale hand as his eyes burned Shikamaru's face into his memories. He leaned in and placed a feathery light kiss on sleeping lips and just as gently moved his hand down over naked skin to blood stained bandages. His soft gaze turned ice-cold as he wished the man who'd done this to his lover were still alive so he could kill him himself.

A water basin and a cloth was placed next to him and he looked up at the Hyuuga who took a seat on Shikamaru's other side. He glared.

"I saw."

"It was the only way without causing him further harm."

"Hn." He decided to ignore the Hyuuga for now, though he accepted his help, and together they gently lifted Shikamaru and started to undo his bandages. He hissed as he discovered the damage done to his lover but gently went to work with the help of the Hyuuga.

He worried over how fresh the wound appeared and it must have shown because the Hyuuga started to explain. "He was cut with a poisoned blade. The poison isn't lethal but it does slow down the healing, the medic-nins did as much as they could and it should close completely by the end of the week as long as he doesn't reopen it like this again."

He nodded. For just a brief moment he stopped in the care of his lover and caught the Hyuuga's gaze. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Uchiha."

Between the two of them they quickly cleaned, rebandaged and redressed Shikamaru. Neji then left the bedroom to prepare a quick meal and to give them some privacy. He decided to make enough for both of them; it was obvious that Uchiha Sasuke had rushed to his lover's side. He still had dirt and leaves stuck on him and Neji had caught the mission's report in his jack pocket.

Sasuke settled next to Shikamaru on the bed. He gently lifted Shikamaru's hand and placed a lingering kiss on his palm. Naruto had run into him at Konoha's borders and told him that he should return to Shikamaru as soon as possible. The sheer seriousness in the idiot's face when he'd told him to return to his lover had him panicking inside and he'd somehow managed to complete a three day journey in one day. He was still dressed in the same dirty clothes and his mission report was still in one of the many pockets of his vest that had carelessly been discarded on the floor. The image he'd been greeted to as he'd approached Shikamaru's window was one he never wished to see and even though he understood the Hyuuga's wish not to cause Shikamaru harm, Sasuke would still find a way to get back the stolen kiss.

Movement from the bed drew his attention from his haunting thoughts and he rose to help his sleeping lover gently roll onto his stomach, his favourite sleeping position. He let a smile momentarily grace his lips before he bent down and placed a kiss first on his lover's cheek and then his back, lingering for just a moment longer, before he left the bedroom.

He was greeted by a pleasant smell from the kitchen and approached the older man putting away containers in Shikamaru's fridge.

"There's enough for the two of you. I'm leaving." Neji informed him and headed for the front door, but as he tried to pass, the Uchiha blocked his path.

Neji drew himself to his full height and placed a hand on his waist as he waited for the Uchiha's next move. Uchiha Sasuke was a possessive man, something he'd learned from Shikamaru's many rants, and he'd wondered before at the Uchiha's lack of action of Neji's method to get Shikamaru to take his medication.

Sasuke grabbed the front of Neji's kimono and pulled him in close. Neji was ready to defend himself if the Uchiha really meant to cause him harm but was not ready for the kiss the other pulled him into. As suddenly as he'd kissed him the Uchiha let him go and turned back towards the bedroom.

"You ever take anything from him again, I'll do more than take it back."

* * *

It's 02.15 in the morning and I just want to finish this and post it. I don't care if there are mistakes or if it doesn't make sense. I just wanted to get it done and over with. I'm tired and what I've written sounds good to me, which is a clear sign that there are obvious mistakes but I don't care right now. I don't care about anything right now except for getting this posted but first I need to rant.

I'll probably rewrite this at a later point (I always do with my stories, I'm never satisfied with them) so feel free to give me criticism. But if anyone nags about them being out of character, or that they aren't gay or other stupid things like that then don't bother. I won't care and… well, I won't care, simple as that. There's a reason why it's called a _fanfiction, _you know.

Thanks for reading and putting up with me. Sorry if I sound too grumpy, that's just how I am when I'm tired.

Nighty-night…


	2. Chapter 2

**Care: Breakfast in Bed**

He was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. There was a sheet covering him from the waist down, and warm rays of sunlight were gently caressing his back. He was lying in his own bed, on his stomach, hugging the most snuggable pillow ever (a gift from his boyfriend on his birthday).

He was content and sighed as he buried his head further into the pillow, but as he became more and more conscious of his surroundings, and sleep was slowly losing its firm grip on him, he also became aware of himself and the discomfort in his body. Memories flooded his foggy mind and he released a suffering groan from the remembrance of his ordeal.

"Shikamaru?"

His name had been spoken so softly he'd missed it and so, when hands were placed on his back and his name repeated, he jumped. Strong hands immediately and gently held him firmly against the bed.

"Careful. We don't want you to reopen your wound." There was a sense of relief and a hint of concern in the voice. A voice Shikamaru knew very well.

"When did you get back, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked and sighed as the hands that had prevented him from moving, now gently and firmly started to massage his abused back. Chakra was flowing through them and into Shikamaru's body to sooth and comfort as Sasuke reassured himself that his lover was well.

"Two days ago. I met Naruto and he told me what had happened."

_Two days? _Shikamaru frowned and his lover sensed the change in his body.

"You've been asleep for a day and a half. You're body's not healing properly and it was better to keep you unconscious for at least 24 hours." Sasuke had been quite worried, and still was, over his lover's condition, and had only left Shikamaru's side to eat and use the bathroom. Neji and Kiba had been by yesterday to collect Sasuke's mission's report, which they needed for their own mission, and Kiba hadn't been shy about telling him just what the Hokage had said over his negligence even though the dog-lover fully approved of his care for the Nara. Sasuke couldn't have cared less over what she thought, not when Shikamaru was hurt, and had asked his colleagues to inform their Hokage that he was taking time off until Shikamaru recovered. He knew he wouldn't be allowed more than three or four days off, but that in itself was a small miracle and only possible because he would be taking care of Nara Shikamaru; one of the greatest assets of Konoha.

"You've kept me asleep for over a day?" While Shikamaru completely understood Sasuke's worries, it still annoyed him a great deal.

"Yes." And Sasuke was fully aware that Shikamaru didn't like it. "You need to take your painkillers."

Shikamaru sighed as he allowed Sasuke to help him sit up and lean back against the headboard of the bed, surrounded by pillows for support. He still hurt but thankfully it was bearable and with the painkillers he would soon be relieved from that discomfort. Sasuke handed him a glass of water and pills, and watched him as he swallowed them. He wasn't going to be overbearing, knowing Shikamaru hated to be mothered, but he needed to calm his aching need to know that his lover was going to be alright. Shikamaru often felt watched, and at the beginning of their awkward relationship it had been discomforting, distrusting, but once he'd understood the reason behind it, the _need_, he'd come to draw comfort in the fact that his lover was always watching him. It was the socially awkward man's way of showing care, concern and love.

The painkillers quickly did their job but Shikamaru had slept so much they did nothing more than fuzz up his mind. Sasuke took the glass and as he did so he placed a kiss on his Shika's forehead, murmuring against his skin that he was going to get him breakfast. At the mention of food Shikamaru's stomach growled even though Shikamaru's mind was to cloudy comprehend what that meant, and Sasuke left the room with a smile on his lips. He let the bedroom door remain wide open and while he moved around soundlessly in the kitchen he paid close attention to every noise coming from the bedroom. He soon returned to his lover's side with a tray and placed it on the nightstand. Shikamaru's eyes lit up at the sight of food and his stomach made another growling noise. He frowned when Sasuke prevented him from reaching for the food and had to scoot forwards when his lover pushed gently at his lower back. He soon got the idea, even with his foggy mind, and moved further to make room for his lover. Sasuke slipped in behind him on the bed and once Shikamaru leaned back against his chest he picked up the tray in one hand and placed it over his lover's lap. Though Sasuke enjoyed watching his lover, they usually kept a distance between them, except, when in bed. Lying in their bed Shikamaru would always lie on his stomach but what was used as his pillow would vary, depending on whether or not he was sleeping alone. On nights when Sasuke was out on missions Shikamaru would sleep on his favourite pillow, but when they were both home Shikamaru's pillow was Sasuke.

Sasuke picked up one of the sandwiches he'd made and feed both Shikamaru and then himself. He kept this up, feeding his lover pieces of bread, and fruit and cookies, and holding the glass while Shikamaru drank his favourite juice, all the while keeping the Nara tucked safely against his chest and eating over his shoulder. His left arm was wrapped carefully around his lover's waist and his hand was caressing the smooth skin on his lover's hip. His anxiety over his lover's condition was slowly ebbing away as the physical contact, as well as the fact that Shikamaru was awake and eating, reassured him that Shikamaru was going to be just fine.

Once they'd emptied the plates Sasuke picked the tray up in one hand and placed it on the nightstand once again. He leaned back against the headboard and pulled Shikamaru with him. The Nara turned and pulled the covers up over them and relaxed into his lover's arms. He smiled as he felt hands rubbing over chest and back and remembered when this had all been new and he'd been a bit uneasy about the Uchiha's need to touch him. Sasuke himself had been confused, at the time, of his sudden need to touch his new lover when they were alone but soon gave into that craving and now it had almost turned in to a fetish. They had certainly enjoyed many breath taking moments where Sasuke did nothing more than touch Shikamaru all over.

"I'm sorry I worried you." Shikamaru said softly and frowned slightly when Sasuke's hands stopped caressing, as he knew they would.

"You don't have to apologise."

"Yeah, I do. It was a stupid mistake on my part that got me into this situation, you found out from Naruto who's not the most capable person when it comes to giving bad news, and then you came home and saw that scene with Neji. So, I'm sorry."

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he hugged Shikamaru just a little tighter. He'd been scared, really scared. Scared in a way he'd only been a couple of times in his life. Scared in a way that made him unable to think, to act, to understand. Sacred in a way that made 'what-ifs' eco in his mind.

_What if you'd died?_

_What if I'd lost you?_

_What if I'd never seen you again?_

_What if you'd left me?_

"It's alright. I forgive you. Just… don't leave me."

* * *

Well, I'm done with this now. I feel proud of myself! =)

I wanna apologize for my little rant at the end of the first chapter. I won't erase it 'cause I don't regret it but I sound mean (which was my intention but I get a feeling it destroys the atmosphere of the story).

Anyway, thank you for reading this and a BIG THANK YOU to the people who reviewed the first chapter (saiyanprincekills and Grey) and thank you to anyone who'll review this chapter.

I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it (believe it or not), and please, tell me what you think!

Hopefully this isn't the last of my SasuShika fics for those of you who like the pairing but it'll certainly be some time until my next one.

(P.S if you've already read the first chapter and skipped directly to the next one then I just want to say that I've changed a few things in the first chapter. Nothing big, just some sentences that I wasn't happy with and corrected what errors I could find. You might not even notice a difference.)


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